Multijet printing module and printing machine including several modules
AssigneeImaje S.A.
InventorsArthur Soucemarianadin, Thierry Colombat
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An ink-jet printing machine which has adjacent printing modules. In each printing module, the ink-jet generating device, the ink-drop deflecting device and the collector for collecting the undeflected drops are borne by a single-piece element located on one face of a supporting beam. The opposite face of the supporting beam bears an ink feeding device, and a container to collect the unused ink coming from the collector and the generation device. The deflecting device is mounted in a pivoting manner so that it can be interposed between the generating device and the collector during the printing operation, and can be withdrawn during the maintenance operation.
Claims16
A multijet printing module with m parallel ink jets comprising:
- first means for generating m parallel ink jets arranged in a plane,
- second means for deflecting at least certain drops of ink coming from said ink jets towards a medium to be printed on,
- third means for collecting the undeflected drops,
- fourth means for feeding said first means with ink,
- fifth means for transferring the ink recovered by the third means to a draining container,
- sixth means for draining said first means in said draining container,
- said first, second and third means are borne by an element consisting of a single-piece element, the second means being mounted in a pivoting manner on said single-piece element so that said second means can be interposed between said first and third means during the printing on said medium to be printed on and can get withdrawn therefrom to enable maintenance of said fourth, fifth and sixth means,
- said single-piece element is borne by one face of a supporting beam,
- said fourth, fifth and sixth means are borne by the other face of said supporting beam.
A printing machine comprising a plurality of multijet printing modules with m parallel ink jets, each module comprising:
- first means for generating m parallel ink jets arranged in a plane,
- second means for deflecting at least certain drops of ink coming from said ink jets towards a medium to be printed on,
- third means for collecting the undeflected drops,
- fourth means for feeding said first means with ink,
- fifth means for transferring the ink recovered by the third means to a draining container,
- sixth means for draining said first means in said draining container,
- wherein:
- said first, second and third means are borne by an element consisting of a single-piece element, the second means being mounted in a pivoting manner on said single-piece element so that said second means can be interposed between said first and third means during the printing on said medium to be printed on and can get withdrawn therefrom to enable maintenance of said fourth, fifth and sixth means,
- said single-piece element is borne by one face of a supporting beam,
- said fourth, fifth and sixth means are borne by the other face of said supporting beam,
- said fourth means including a solenoid valve that communicates, on a first side, with said first means by passages located inside said supporting beam and the single-piece element and on the other side, with a feeding container by a pipe connected to a distribution circuit,
- wherein said modules are juxtaposed so as to keep a constant pitch between all the jets on the entire printing machine on said supporting beam and communicating with said draining container and the distribution circuit which are common to all the modules.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.